There With Him
by Higuchimon
Summary: [one-shot, Edo, DD, Saiou, & Mizuchi family] Thanksgiving. A time to be with one's friends and family. Edo Phoenix can do that.


**Disclaimer:** All canon-based characters, situations, and plotlines are copyright to their original owners, creators, and designers. I make no profit, nor want any.  
**Title:** There With Him  
**Characters:** Edo, DD, Saiou Takuma, Saiou Mizuchi  
**Word Count:** 2,382  
**Genre:** Family, Friendship  
**Rated:** G  
**Notes:** This takes place in November of 2005, early in Juudai's second year. Edo has defeated both Ryou and Juudai, and this is before Juudai leaves the school and Saiou goes to brainwash Manjoume.  
**Summary:** Thanksgiving. A time to be with one's friends and family. Edo Phoenix can do that.

* * *

It was an absolutely perfect late November day. The sky was just that lovely shade of autumn blue, and while the temperature was a bit on the chilly side, it wasn't really _cold_. A light jacket would suffice to keep one as warm as one wished to be.

Edo didn't even bother with that. He didn't need a jacket, since he wore one of his winter white suits. Despite looking exactly alike, his summer, winter, fall, and spring suits were different in some important ways. It was impossible to tell this from the outside, of course. Edo gave nothing away, not even with his clothing.

He walked down the street quietly, enjoying the holiday for the simple fact that it kept most people off of the streets, and thus, away from him. People were more annoyances than anything to him, something that he had to put up with to accomplish his goals, not something he wanted around on a regular basis.

With some exceptions, of course. Three exceptions, all three of which he was going to be seeing very soon.

He could've driven to the mansion, of course. But walking gave him a chance to scour the streets for any random scum that might be prowling around. He'd even found a couple of thieves who apparently hadn't got the message that it was a holiday. They were in the custody of the police now. That made it an extremely enjoyable day for him. There wasn't a great deal that could have made it better.

And what could was those same three exceptions.

He turned a corner and saw the mansion at the end of the short, dead-end street there. Three stories tall, elegantly built, with more rooms than he could conveniently count. Well, maybe not quite that many. He just hadn't ever bothered to count.

Edo looked at for a few minutes, not moving. He'd grown up there, ever since DD had adopted him. He could see the window of his room from where he was standing right now. Second floor, right on the corner. There was a better view to the side, of the gardens over there. He could even see a little stream that trickled through from that side window. He remembered the view almost perfectly. He'd seen it so many times over the years.

He couldn't stand there forever, though. The garage wasn't visible from where he stood, but he wouldn't have been surprised if everyone else was already there. He didn't really want to be late. Though they'd know if he was going to be. And with Saiou around, they would have known before he even had known he would be himself.

He walked down the road, reveling in the silence. Everything was almost always quiet around here. Most people were probably visiting their relatives, or had relatives visiting them, and the noise was shut up properly behind their walls.

Being in the good health that he was, it only took a few minutes for him to walk up to the door. He didn't have to knock; the butler opened it just as he stepped up to the door. He nodded some and went inside. He knew just where to go; they always met in the same place, after all. It provided a warm sense of continuity, for a family that was seldom together at the same place and same time.

Just as he'd expected, they were there in the parlor. A warm fire crackled on the hearth, though it was scarcely necessary. DD sat in one of the larger chairs in the room, while Saiou and Mizuchi were speaking quietly, seated on the couch. There was one empty chair, and Edo went right over to it. It was between the two of them, in some way symbolizing the fact he was the link between them. Edo didn't care much for symbols, of course.

"So glad you could join us, Edo." DD said, a slightly sardonic smile on his lips. "We've been waiting for you."

"I hope that you weren't waiting too long." Edo said, glancing from his guardian to the Saious. Mizuchi smiled slightly at him, while Saiou's smile was a bit wider and warmer and he shook his head a little.

"No, not very long. I knew you'd be here soon." For once, he didn't seem to have his Tarot deck out. Edo respected the vision of the cards, but he still preferred to speak to Saiou rather than to them.

Edo found himself smiling a little himself. "I knew that you would." He couldn't really begin to express how good it was to have everyone there. They all had their own lives, and being spread out the way that they were made meeting up so difficult. Even he and Saiou didn't always see each other as much as he would have preferred.

"I understand congratulations are in order, Edo." DD spoke up once more. His smile was just a bit wider now, and filled with pride. "You've defeated both Marufuji Ryou and Yuuki Juudai. Their reputations are impressive."

He supposed that was true, for a couple of Duel Academia students. He just shrugged, however. "It wasn't that difficult." Juudai had given him a _tiny_ bit of trouble, but he'd been in worse positions in the Pros and had come out on top. The 'Kaiser' hadn't even given him an appetite. Though, to be honest, crushing his ego had been eminently satisfying.

A quick glance at Saiou showed that rather pleased smile of his, and Edo added on, "And it was meant to be anyway." So much for anything that he might have to learn from Juudai. What he'd learned was that he was better than Juudai was.

"Of course it was." Saiou's eyes gleamed with approval. "As I told you."

"I think we can dispense with you knowing it was going to happen," DD reproved ever so gently. "We know that you knew." There was a hint of amusement in his tone as well, and Edo's lips twitched slightly.

Saiou bent his head a touch. "As you wish." After all, this was DD's home, and Saiou's manners were, as always, exquisite.

"Dinner will be ready soon," one of the maids said from where she stood in the doorway. "Everything is being prepared, sirs, ma'am."

DD nodded, dismissing her with a gesture. His years of being at the top of the pros had given him the means to provide extravagant feasts when certain events came around, such as holidays and birthdays. Edo might not live with him anymore, but he always came around for such events. Family was important. That was something his father had told him frequently.

He couldn't remember any of the Thanksgiving celebrations that he'd had with his father, now that he thought about it. They'd all been so many years earlier, and he tried not to think too much about those times. Maybe once he'd found the bastard who had killed him and stolen Bloo-D, then he would remember them fully. They'd been happy. He might not remember them in detail, but he was extremely certain of that. Vague recollections of turkey and stuffing, pumpkin pie and cold glasses of milk, all of the traditional servings of the holiday, wandered through his mind. He shoved them aside with a sharp mental thrust. Another day. When vengeance had been his.

"Edo?" Saiou was looking at him. Saiou never read his mind, or so Saiou had promised him years ago. He had taught Edo how to protect his mind from being intruded on, though it wasn't something that the younger teen had learned very easily. The best he could do was make certain that Saiou and Mizuchi weren't reading it.

Edo shook his head briefly. "Nothing important." He didn't like DD or Saiou knowing that thoughts of his father intruded around holidays. Though they probably knew anyway. But he wasn't going to tell them himself.

"Are you going to be going back to Duel Academia?" DD asked, one eyebrow raised a touch. He couldn't have enrolled in there without DD's authorization, so he supposed it was a valid enough question.

"Maybe." He sort of doubted it, though. There wasn't a great deal that he needed to learn from there. He had had it arranged so that he could do assignments via his laptop if necessary. Sometimes he even bothered to do them. If he didn't have anything else to do. "I don't think there's much that I need to do there, though."

Mizuchi chuckled some. "You may be surprised about that one day, Edo."

"I'll be surprised, then." He really didn't want to know. He didn't know everything that Mizuchi could do; she kept to herself the most of all. But he did know that she had some of the same gifts that Saiou had. If she thought he'd go back there one day, then it was reasonably certain that he might. He couldn't think of why he would bother right now, though.

She was also glancing slightly at her brother, but nothing was said. At least not out loud. He would not have been in the slightest surprised if there was quite a bit being said that he himself couldn't hear. They were like that at times.

"Do you know who you're going to face for the finals yet?" Edo decided it was time for something of a subject change and looked over at DD. Though the Pro League finals weren't for months to come, sometimes you could get an idea of who would be your opponent, if you were good enough and watched how the duels went.

"I have two or three candidates that I'm watching. Perhaps it will be you." DD smiled at him, and Edo smiled back. That would fulfill at least some of his dreams, and he knew that the day would come. Maybe not this year, maybe not even the next year, but one day, it would.

DD leaned back, sipping at a snifter of brandy he had been holding. "There is going to be something interesting in the works later in the year, however. There had been rumors that something will be happening at Duel Academia."

Mizuchi smiled a touch. "Perhaps that's why you'll go back there, Edo." "Something? What?" Edo could not deny that he was somewhat interested in this now. What could be going on, and why hadn't he heard about it yet? Surely they would have known at Duel Academia if something was up, wouldn't they?

"No one seems to know the details, but it will be some form of a tournament. Principal Samejima is arranging it all. He's choosing the finest duelists in all of the world to compete. Pros as well as amateurs, and many who do not participate in the leagues. I haven't as of yet decided if I will join in." DD sipped at his brandy a little. "I don't think it quite interests me. And I already have the League to focus on."

That would leave this possible tournament all for him. Edo thought it over. It might be something interesting to deal with. He'd have to wait until it got started to see for certain.

The maid stepped into the doorway again. "Dinner is served."

That put an end to the conversation for the moment. All four of them rose and headed for the dining area. As always when they were there, it was set just for four. In the center of it was the usual arrangement: chrysanthemums, carnations, sunflowers, and a few other flowers, with three orange taper candles rising from between them all. It was a relatively small, square table, with a snow white cloth spread over it, silver utensils and porcelain plates at the ready. On the sideboard were all of the makings of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, from turkey to ham to stuffing to various puddings, as well as several dishes from Japan, including sukiyaki and yakitori.

Saiou pulled out Mizuchi's chair for her, doing it by hand. She smiled slightly up at him, nodding as she settled in, and he took his place on the opposite side of the table from her. DD and Edo took the seats at the head and foot of the table respectively, and the serving of dinner began.

Everyone had a little bit of something; with as often as Edo and DD themselves went to Japan, they'd acquired a taste for the food from there, and with the Saious having spent time in America, they had picked up a few likes from the cuisine as well.

No one really spoke that much during the meal, but there was very little that needed to be said. Edo cleaned his plate and leaned back, relaxing with a satisfied sigh. There was nothing that could compare to the food served at home.

He didn't get up, though. There was still one last little ritual to perform. The butler came about, pouring each person a small glass of the best wine DD had available. Edo didn't drink often, but this was a very special occasion. DD began, rising to his feet and toasting the others.

"I am thankful for the fine family that I have and I look forward to the day that you and I can duel one another, Edo."

Mizuchi was next. She rose gracefully, bowed her head, and toasted everyone. "I am thankful to have a home and a family that I truly love. I will always do everything I can to protect and help you all."

Once she had seated herself, Edo rose. He knew exactly what he was going to say as he made his toast. "I'm thankful for all of you, and for everything you've all done for me. I know that together, we'll find who murdered my father."

DD smiled a little and nodded firmly. Edo smiled slightly back at him. It was good to know that he had support.

Lastly, Saiou rose up and made his thanksgiving toast. "I am thankful, of course, for all of you. There is nothing more that I need in my life."

All of them toasted each other one last time, and drank. Edo smiled. Thanksgiving did have its good points. And they were all right there with him.

**The End**

**Notes:** Sukiyaki is beef and vegetable stew, dipped in beaten raw egg. Green onions, chrysanthemum leaves, and shitake mushrooms are the vegetables usually used. Tofu and noddles are also added, and everything is then cooked in a sauce of soy, sugar, and cooking sake. Yakitori is broiled chicken. Vegetables are cooked with it, usually green pappers, garlic, and onions, and it's all flavored with salt or sauce.


End file.
